In Todays News!!!!!

[djcraig]

[quote][i]Originally posted by phillyidol[/i]
<br>Very well put Marv. We do need something to bind us together. Something we all share in order to live together and grow. I'm all for keeping your heritage. But you need to remember where you are. My wife is spanish, trust me she wouldn't be living the life she does in any other country. Every other wave of immagrants were forced to assimilate and learn the language. They did and grew...and grew and grew. Look at the people that do not speak english at all. Do they own businesses? Do they own anything? House? Car? No. In order to move up, you must communicate.
[/quote]

I disagree.

Many people have been able to become very successful here without ever properly learning the language.

Stella, for instance.

[:D]

[i_like_lectric_motors]

[quote][i]Originally posted by eight6[/i]


If you're going, you should familiarize yourself with some of the scenery...

http://www.missnorway.no/missnorway/def ... d=2&cid=31

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[/quote]



Fullstendig vakker.

[MARV]

[quote][i]Originally posted by Blir[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by marvymarv[/i]
<br>While the delivery may have a provocative thrust to some, the message is dead on. A nation that is built on immigration should protect one of the few things that truly bind it's people together: language.
[/quote]
What fucking message?! Some asshole wants to order a cheesesteak and a provocative jerk wants to give him a hard time. He's free to say "Only english spoken here"...he's being a wank with his preamble though. Why is it so hard to call a spade a spade?

Language isn't binding us in this case...it's being used as a weapon to divide. Language isn't mentioned in the Constitution...a lot of great ideals are...THAT's what binds us for fucks sake. This is about some jerk with a sign, nothing more.
[/quote]

Does something have to be in the Constitution to unite us? If so, where's New Wave mentioned? I think it's possible that someone who puts such a sign up may have more on his mind than "giving someone a hard time". In fact, I only see that as a convenient bonus that may motivate someone to learn English. This is just be my humble opinion but I was raised by a father who is a linguistics professor, fluent in seven languages, traveled with his family around the world and always urged us to try and speak the local language. If we had moved to one of those countries for good, you can bet your last dollar that we all would have learned the language. Like my parents did when they moved here.

<a href="http://www.worldwildlife.org/cetaceans/index.cfm">I dig whales.</a>

[plagiarism]

Here's a link to the story:

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/14780002.htm

I think this is a stoopid controversy. The owner seems to have a thin skin (freedom fries?), while it looks like his employees try to help everyone. Personally, I'd start selling bistec con queso breakfast tacos, but he can run his business anyway he wants.

[eight6]

Quebec has a little thing called Bill 101 which purports to "protect the French [i](you guys call that caterwauling French?)[/i] language" from the onslaught of English. Under the law, all adverising, billboards, store signs etc. must be in French only, even though Canada is officially bilingual.

The net effect was that thousands of Anglo Quebecers and most businesses moved to another area of the country. Quebec has recovered somewhat through the intervention of the Federal gov't offering incentives to businesses to locate there, but it's failed attempt to force people to move to one language has marginalized it.

Just another reason that most Canadians have disdain for "La Belle Province"

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[Mechi]

Sick sad world in which we live in!!!


That's so racist and disrespectful towards the Latin community.


Really is.

<img src="http://home.comcast.net/~myirwin/JD_Montage2.jpg">

[Frau_Blucher]

[quote][i]Originally posted by marvymarv[/i]
<br>Does something have to be in the Constitution to unite us? If so, where's New Wave mentioned? I think it's possible that someone who puts such a sign up may have more on his mind than "giving someone a hard time". In fact, I only see that as a convenient bonus that may motivate someone to learn English. This is just be my humble opinion but I was raised by a father who is a linguistics professor, fluent in seven languages, traveled with his family around the world and always urged us to try and speak the local language. If we had moved to one of those countries for good, you can bet your last dollar that we all would have learned the language. Like my parents did when they moved here.
[/quote]
I'm saying resolutely that unity is the last thing on the mind of the guy who posted that sign. Why not call a spade a spade and an asshole an asshole. You wanna pretend that this is some unity issue? Certainly language can and does unite, but that's not what that sign's about. And you know I'm in the same boat as you Marv, not having spoken a stitch of English until 6 yrs old until we moved here and having my parents adamantly demand that we learn the language. But I'm not gonna force that standard on some schlup of wants a fucking cheesesteak!

Oh, and I guess I didn't answer Philly's original question. I don't think it's racist. It's inflammatory and unkind, but get over it. It's neither deserving of respect nor too much negative attention.

[phillyidol]

Rome is burning.

[djcraig]

[quote][i]Originally posted by Mechi[/i]
<br>Sick sad world in which we live in!!!


That's so racist and disrespectful towards the Latin community.


Really is.

<img src="http://home.comcast.net/~myirwin/JD_Montage2.jpg">

[/quote]

Why is it any more "racist and disrespectful towards the Latin community" than any other non-English speaking minority group?

Bottom line is the guy can run his business any (legal) way he wants. The market will decide if he loses money or goes out of business because of his stance or becomes hugely successful. If enough people are offended, the "survival of the fittest" axiom will kick in and he will not be around long enough to worry about.

I heard there is another establishment down the street from him that doesn't care what language you speak. If the market finds more value in that, that business will boom.

[phillyidol]

You make a good point. Why does everyone assume its against spanish only? Maybe because that is the largest group of immagrants that won't learn the language. I said it a million times, I live neer the biggest Russian community in the US. Everyone speaks english. In fact in my office, we always joke around but help eachother learn. I can speak many things in Russian. They know they must learn the language. And that is why they are doing so well. The guys that I work with are here about 10 years. Never spoke english till getting here. They took low paying jobs, learned english, got better jobs, got training, got better jobs...now these freaks all drive Lexus' and own homes.

[Klaus Von Konrad]

That owner is an asshole. "Freedom Fries" .... they're called french fries you prick. "Freedom fries" is not english either. What do you expect from a guy who puts Cheez whiz on a steak. The big irony here is that I always thought the French were jerks when they were passing their own jingoistic laws to protect the sanctity of the French language from English. Now close-minded Americans are following their example.

[eight6]

[quote][i]Originally posted by phillyidol[/i]
<br>You make a good point. Why does everyone assume its against spanish only? Maybe because that is the largest group of immagrants that won't learn the language. I said it a million times, I live neer the biggest Russian community in the US. Everyone speaks english. In fact in my office, we always joke around but help eachother learn. I can speak many things in Russian. They know they must learn the language. And that is why they are doing so well. The guys that I work with are here about 10 years. Never spoke english till getting here. They took low paying jobs, learned english, got better jobs, got training, got better jobs...now these freaks all drive Lexus' and own homes.
[/quote]

I agree with the assessment Phil has made about learning English and getting ahead. What's the point of coming to a new country, and avoiding every aspect of the assimilation process?

Speaking English does nothing to diminish their customs and heritage, for the first generation, their children and further on down the line. What it does do is allow them to communicate and educate the rest of us, who are in all liklihood ignorant of what makes them who they are.

We have communities here who approach it both ways: either they insulate themselves from the rest of the populus, or they try to get involved. Those communities who choose to get involved benefit greatly, not only from an understanding and acceptance of their culture and traditions, but from a commerce point of view as well. Then you have the other communities that would rather stick to their own kind...well, all I can say to them is good luck to them, they are getting left behind.

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[phillyidol]

Thats it! They are getting left behind. And it does not have to be that way. Hold on to your language and culture but melt into the melting pot already.

And cheese wiz on a staek? Yuck! Everyone knows you need KETCHUP! Can you please pass the ketchup mon sewer?

[hutter]

Ditto on what eight6 said. Maybe someday I put up effort to learn English, then I assimilate meself and be big time success story like me hero, philly.

[i_like_lectric_motors]

[quote][i]Originally posted by djcraig[/i]


Why is it any more "racist and disrespectful towards the Latin community" than any other non-English speaking minority group?

Bottom line is the guy can run his business any (legal) way he wants. The market will decide if he loses money or goes out of business because of his stance or becomes hugely successful. If enough people are offended, the "survival of the fittest" axiom will kick in and he will not be around long enough to worry about.

I heard there is another establishment down the street from him that doesn't care what language you speak. If the market finds more value in that, that business will boom.
[/quote]

Perfectly put. His business won't suffer. If anything, the guy has made a calculated decision that will end up paying off big for him.